As youth sports coaches, we spend almost all of our energy preparing young athletes both mentally and physically for the next competition. Here’s a few coaching tips for the new youth basketball (or any sport) season.Even after the state championship, or the biggest match of the year, there is always a new season to train for and another challenge to prepare for.
But there comes a time in every young athlete’s career when the last game of their very last season comes to pass.
Just as we prepare our athletes to sustain mental toughness for the next big game, it is also a coach’s responsibility to prepare athletes for what lies ahead in life. Whether the next step for our young athletes is college or work experience, we can teach them to apply the same skills they have developed for the game to real world experiences later on.
When I coach my young basketball players, I try and relate the lessons we learn on the court to real life challenges as often as possible. Losing is good place to start. After a tough loss, coaches have a great opportunity to prepare athletes for similar situations outside of sports.
Losing a game is a lot like not getting into the college of your choice. On the court, I challenge my players to use a loss as an opportunity to take a look at how they could have done better and to apply the lessons they learned to the next game.
It’s the same with life experience. Encourage your athletes to use any obstacle as a learning opportunity.
Confidence building is just as important. We talk a lot about confidence in sports. It takes confidence to make a three point shot at the buzzer to win the game. It takes confidence to walk into a tournament prepared for an intense competition. We work on confidence a lot before a big game.
During our practices, I ask my athletes to think about the achievements of the past season and use those accomplishments as reasons why we can beat the next team, or overcome the next challenge.
They can prepare for challenges or obstacles in life the same why. When heading into a job interview, for example, list the reasons why you are qualified for the position as a way to build your confidence beforehand.
But most importantly, I stress the importance of always doing your best with my young athletes. In every practice, and every game, if you always do your best you can’t lose. The same is true for life beyond the game.
If you always do your best, continue to work hard and persevere, you’ll come out a winner every time.
Eddie D. Shackleford is a writer for cable.tv and loves to write about sports, leadership, entertainment and more.